| Burnside Fountain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Henry Bacon, architect Charles Y. Harvey, sculptor |
| Year | 1912 |
| Type | Fountain in two parts; basin and sculpture |
| Medium | Granite (basin) and bronze (sculpture) |
| Dimensions | 1.5 m × 3.7 m (5 ft × 12 ft); [citation needed] |
| Location | Worcester Common, Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 42°15′41.3″N 71°48′0.82″W / 42.261472°N 71.8002278°W | |
| Owner | City of Worcester |
The Burnside Fountain is a non-functioning drinking fountain at the southeast corner of Worcester Common in Worcester, Massachusetts. It consists of two parts, a pink granite basin, and a bronze statue of a young boy riding a sea turtle.
The Burnside Fountain was commissioned in 1905 by the city of Worcester—the prior year, Harriet F. Burnside had bequeathed $5,000 ($169,556 in 2023) to create a fountain to provide fresh water for horses and dogs in the memory of her father, a prominent lawyer. The basin was designed by architect Henry Bacon, who later designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the figure was created by sculptor Charles Y. Harvey. Harvey died by suicide before finishing the sculpture, and Sherry Fry completed the bronze. The fountain was installed in 1912 in Central Square, then moved in 1969 to its current location on Worcester Common. In 1970, the statue was stolen, and was re-installed two years later. An attempted theft occurred in 2004.
The bronze is officially named Boy with a Turtle but is known to locals as Turtle Boy. Turtle Boy has become an unofficial mascot for Worcester, much in the same way the Manneken Pis is for Brussels. The Burnside Fountain's popularity is derived mostly from viewers' risqué misinterpretation of the statue. Over its 112-year existence, it has been referenced in stories and songs, as well as having a music contest and a microbrew named after it.